"In a comeback thriller, Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy upset 2011 world champions Brazil after losing nine straight games to the pair, Larissa Franca and Juliana Silva.

"The Brazilian team was a gold-medal favorite in the 2008 Beijing Games, but just weeks before they were headed to China, an injury sidelined Silva, forcing Franca to play with a partner with whom she had not practiced with. ...

"The other American team, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, today inched closer to their third-straight women's beach volleyball gold medal with a victory over China in the semifinal."